If you are evaluating marketing automation and CRM systems, you may wonder what the differences are between Infusionsoft (also known as “Keap”) and Ontraport.  In my business, I’ve had in-depth experience setting up and running both of these software solutions either in my own business or with clients, and there is definitely a difference between the two.

For starters, Ontraport has no set up fee and has a 90 day trial while Infusionsoft has a significant set up fee and no free trial. But, you shouldn’t let a set up fee dictate which software you choose because chances are, one will work better for your business than the other.

To make the right decision, let’s go through the process I use to help clients determine the best solution for their businesses while avoiding some of the pitfalls that you may encounter.

Note: I’d encourage you to either print this article out or to take notes as you read because your answers to the questions that follow are going to help you make the right decision.  Also, the links in this article are affiliate links, so if you choose to purchase through one of the links, make sure you let me know here so I can give you access to Social Video Mastery and other marketing automation tutorials, which will help you attract and convert more customers.

How to Choose The Right Marketing Automation Software Solution

To know which solution is right for your business, you’ll need to do two things.

First, you’ll need to determine what you want to do with the software – the results you hope to achieve.

Second, you’ll need to know which software has the ability to align with how you operate your business (and I’ve included a very handy guide at the end of this article to make this step easy for you).

Why Do You Want to Use Marketing Automation?

One mistake I frequently see clients and others make is focusing on all the shiny features, bells and whistles that the various software platforms have to offer.  In truth, the only factors that matter when choosing the right solution are the results you hope to achieve and the tools which will help you achieve those results.

What are the results you hope to achieve as a result of implementing a marketing automation solutions in your business?

Do you want to:

1. Free up your time by automating how you follow up via email, SMS, or direct mail so you or your staff can focus on higher-leverage activities that will generate more revenue or expand your business?  If so, automating your follow up campaigns can be a game-changer for your business.
2. Do you want to increase your conversion rates?  If so, you’ll want to use marketing automation software capable of modifying how you respond to your customers based on their behaviors and the interests they express through their behavior (Infusionsoft and Ontraport make this easy while email autoresponder software like Aweber, Mailchimp and iContact make this either cumbersome or impossible).
3. Do you want to increase the average transaction value of a customer (the amount of money a customer spends with you during a single transaction)?  If so, then you’ll want a solution that can handle up-sells, cross-sells and down-sells or one that can integrate with a sales funnel software or shopping cart capable of offering your customers additional products or services beyond their initial purchase.
4. Automatically stay in touch with prospects, leads and clients to nurture prospects (build goodwill) and consistently make more offers so you can increase sales revenue and insure more consistent cash flow?
5. Rank your contacts with a “lead score” based on their behavior and level of interest so you know when it makes sense to automatically follow up and when to schedule a live call when you have a “hot lead” who is likely ready to buy?
6. Get more visibility into your business with automated tracking and reporting of key performance indicators (KPI) so you’ll know which areas of your business require more attention or changes?
7. Do you have a membership site that you’d like to integrate with your CRM, shopping cart and email autoresponder?  If so, then Ontraport has an integrated WordPress membership site plugin that makes it easy.  Alternatively, Click Funnels, a sales funnel software has integrated membership sites and might be a great solution (it works with both Ontraport and Infusionsoft).

The right marketing automation software can help you achieve each of the results listed above, but we need to consider how your business operates before making a decision.

How Do You Currently Make Sales & Follow Up With Your Prospects, Leads and Customers?

The type of business you are in and how you run your business will play a key role in determining which marketing automation solution is right for you.

For example, Infusionsoft has several different “packages” designed for different businesses (to find out more, download the free guide at the end of this article).

1. Do you have a sales team that will be using the software?  How many people in your company will be using the software (each person who has access will need a “seat”)?
2. How do you sell your products and services?  Do you sell online, over the phone, or in-person?
3. Do you have or plan to have an ecommerce store where you will be selling products or services online?
4. If you are going to sell online, do you have a sales funnel that walks your new customer through the initial purchase and any subsequent up-sells, cross-sells and down-sells before finalizing their order?
5. Are you a coach, consultant, author or speaker? If so, you’ll likely find Ontraport to be a great solution.

Your answers to each of these questions will play a key role in determining which software will be the best fit for your company.

While both software solutions are good at what they do, the only thing that really matters is which software is right for your company and the results you want to achieve.  For the sake of brevity, I can’t go into nitty gritty details between the two in this article. However, I’ve prepared a simple yet in-depth guide that will help you make the right decision…

Download My Free Marketing Automation Guide: Infusionsoft vs Ontraport

Now that you have more clarity around the results you want to achieve, how your business is structured to make sales and follow up with customers, you’re ready to decide which software will work the best for your business.

To simplify the process, I’ve created a free guide that will take you through the differences between Infusionsoft and Ontraport.  You’ll discover:

1. Which features are included and how they relate to the result you want to achieve
2. Which software is right for your type of business
3. The real costs of each solution based on how you plan to use it
4. 3 simple methods to quickly implement marketing automation in your business once you choose the right solution